James Frazer Durrett, Jr.

J. Frazer Durrett, Jr., 85, of Atlanta, GA, passed away September 4, 2016, after a brief illness. Frazer was born in Atlanta on March 23, 1931, to James Frazer Durrett and Cora Morton Durrett. He grew up on Muscogee Avenue in Buckhead and attended E. Rivers School. He was an Eagle Scout at Troop #1 Peachtree Heights and a summer camper then leader at Athens Y Camp in Tallulah Falls. He attended North Fulton High School, where he was president of the senior class in 1948 and earned the Atlanta Journal Cup as best all-around student. Frazer attended Emory University, where he was a nominee for a Rhodes Scholarship, graduating from the college in 1952 Phi Beta Kappa. He received a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship to study history in graduate school at Princeton, then attended Harvard Law School where he met Mary Lucretia “Cree” McPherson. They married upon his graduation in 1956. Frazer then joined the law firm of Bird & Howell, which had four attorneys at the time. Later, the firm was renamed Jones, Bird & Howell where some of Frazer’s professional time was spent assisting the Great One, Bobby Jones, who became Frazer’s mentor. Frazer also taught at Emory Law School for fourteen years on an adjunct basis. A successful and respected attorney, he worked with others, including his good friend at the law firm of Alston, Miller & Gaines, Neil Williams, to form Alston & Bird in 1982.

Frazer was committed to his community, serving on the board of The Howard School as chairman for many years, where he remains an emeritus trustee. He served as chairman of the Board of Ethics for the City of Atlanta. He and Cree were decades-long members of a monthly discussion group, and during his final years he organized another discussion group at his residence at Lenbrook. He was a voracious reader, enjoying histories, biographies and books about physics. Frazer and Cree loved Jackson Hole, spending parts of most summers at the family cabins and backpacking in the Tetons of Wyoming. They loved trekking around the globe, spending time on the trails in Switzerland, Nepal, New Zealand, Peru, and Great Britain. Trips to the Galapagos and Svalbard delighted them. In retirement, they split time between Jackson Hole and Atlanta, enjoying their time with friends and family.

Frazer, a man of kindness, generosity, wisdom, intellect and compassion, is deeply loved and will be greatly missed by his wife of 60 years, Cree Durrett; his brother, William M. “Bill” Durrett and wife, Winship, of Jasper, GA; his four children: James F. “Jim” Durrett, III and his wife, Pat, of Atlanta; William McPherson “Mac” Durrett and his wife Amy of Atlanta; Lucretia Durrett “Lucia” Miller and her husband, Don, of Jacksonville, FL; and Thomas Ratcliffe “Tom” Durrett and his wife, Meredith, of Atlanta; eight grandchildren; and countless friends.

A memorial service will be held at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3003 Howell Mill Road, NW, Atlanta, GA 30327, on Wednesday, September 7, at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in his memory to The Howard School, 1192 Foster Street, NW, Atlanta, GA 30318, or a charity of your choice. Online condolences may be expressed at www.csog.com.